FILM-AMERICAN ULTRA PREMIERE Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart talk about the many genres in "American Ultra"

Record ID: 143241

  • Title: FILM-AMERICAN ULTRA PREMIERE Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart talk about the many genres in "American Ultra"
  • Date: 19th August 2015
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 18, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** WIDE SHOT OF RED CARPET, ACTOR JESSE EISENBERG, ACTRESS KRISTEN STEWART, ACTRESS CONNIE BRITTON AND DIRECTOR NIMA NOURIZADEH GREETING EACH OTHER CAMERA CREWS KRISTEN STEWART POSING FOR PHOTOS PHOTOGRAPHERS JESSE EISENBERG POSING FOR PHOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JESSE
  • Embargoed: 3rd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAT4OHTT9YMDQT5FUM4KCC9WMO
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart hit the red carpet on Tuesday (August 18) for the premiere of upcoming comedy-action film "American Ultra."
    "American Ultra" follows a small-town couple named Mike, played by Eisenberg, and Phoebe, played by Stewart. Mike, an avid weed smoker, discovers he is a highly trained and lethal sleeper agent that was once part of a secret CIA program. When his skills are activated he has to use them to save himself and his girlfriend.
    "I'd never read anything like this movie. I just thought it was the most original script, it's like a kind of very funny combination of a lot of different things. You know, Kristen and I play these sweet stoner kids in the middle of the country who are then being attacked by this secret government force and we have to defend ourselves but little do we know we actually have this kind of secret training. So, it's this really funny combination of these sweet pacifist kids having to defend themselves from pretty violent attackers," said Eisenberg. "I think it's the kind of movie that you'd probably be able to kind of see yourself in or live vicariously through, it's not, you know the character is just a regular guy. He's not special in any way and I could confirm that because I played it."
    Eisenberg and Stewart previously played an on-screen couple in 2009's "Adventureland" and Stewart was happy to reunite with Eisenberg.
    "I read it as something that seemed really familiar, it seemed like a sort of continuation of "Adventureland" which is a movie that I did with Jesse a couple of years ago, quirky kind of stoner comedy with heart and then it just exploded and I really, really was so invested in whether or not these kids came out on top. And it was unlike anything I had ever read. So, I just thought it was really funny and I loved working with Jesse and I wanted to jump back into that for every reason," said Stewart.
    Both lead actors and the director call the film a mix of various genres, saying it helps audiences relate to the story.
    "It's so much more interesting when you watch two people that aren't saying movie trailer lines like, 'we better get out of here,' and just actually be like 'oh my God dude what is going on dude," and so, like, you go, that is how I would react. It's like the biggest hypothetical, it's like if you go, what would you do if the CIA was after you but you just wanted to get married to your girlfriend and get really high. And then you go probably that, exactly and then just have like the most surreal dream about it. That's what the movie is," said Stewart.
    "It mixes so many genres up, it's a comedy, it's got romance, it's a love story, you know. And there's an amazing amount of action so I would describe it as a mash up of all those genres. Something that you don't normally see mash up together like this," said director Nima Nourizadeh.
    The film also stars Topher Grace, Connie Britton, John Leguizamo and Tony Hale.
    "American Ultra" hits theaters on Friday August 21.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register